I Can See You
by KaylaNorail
Summary: Arriving at Hogwarts for the second time, Luna finds the proof that the world is much more than others think.


**AN: I blame my Sister, who read ****_The Order of the Phoenix_**** some time ago and somehow it made me catch the Luna Nostalgia Bug, which later evolved into Heck-I-Want-To-Write-Something-About-Luna Bug. The result is below, thought I really, really don't know what's that supposed to be. ._.**

* * *

"Oh, look, it's her!"

"Heeeeey, Loony!"

"What a nice necklace you've got yourself, Loony! Where did you find it, at a Muggle junkyard?"

"Oi, oi, have you seen any Funkyblocks lately, Loony?"

"They're called 'Swankybacks'," Luna's voice was full of the usual—almost bored—calm as she strode through the crowd of students. Such remarks and name-calling would've upset her during the first year, but now she was already so used to it she could no longer care. That and the fact her father had reassured her that those poor ignorant souls just wouldn't believe that something of importance was just being discovered—and not by _them,_ of all people. "You should educate yourself more on the subject."

The pudgy Slytherin who'd asked the mocking question reddened slightly.

"Or maybe _you_ should educate _yourself,_" she hissed, "and start reading something else than your nutty daddy's blabber."

"Oh, I've already seen to that. One should consult many sources, as one can find a load of valuable information there—"

"And did you find anything on those Wackypants _anywhere else_ besides _The Quibbler?_" some passing Ravenclaw asked.

"Swankybacks. And no, not yet," Luna said, this time sounding a little bit more serious. Getting the names of magical creatures wrong could lead to disastrous results, as had been proved years before by Ursula the Unlucky, who, due to a misread, took a ferocious Fiery Woozle for a harmless Fairy Whomble. There was not much left to bury afterwards. "The research on their subject is relatively new and my dad is very likely the first wizard to ever acknowledge their existence, so it's not surprising—"

"A-a-ah, I think you mean '_invent_ their existence', don't you, Loony?"

Now that one puzzled her a bit. "You cannot invent _existence._"

"…you know what I mean."

Seeing as the conversation was going pretty much nowhere, Luna simply gave the Ravenclaw a little shrug and continued to go with the crowd. If anything, her experience at Hogwarts proved at least one thing to her: people were weird—and wizards were especially so. With their obsession with hard evidence, they seemed to be on par with Muggles. No matter how many times she argued for the existence of some very obscure magical creatures, the response was usually negative. However, it never actually angered her and she couldn't help but feel sorry for those poor, narrow-minded souls, hoping that maybe one day they would open their eyes and try to see the yet-unseen.

She wasn't completely averse to criticism, however, as long as it was well-minded and actually insightful instead of being just a bunch of 'what-a-load-of-bulls'. Hoaxes were pretty common even amongst wizards and that, in her opinion, gave independent scholars, like her father, a bad name. And then there were also mistakes—such as when her father identified the mysterious creature petrifying people at school the previous year as a particularly vile Whispering Wallcrawler, while apparently it was just a particularly unfortunate basilisk.

She could hear Hagrid the gamekeeper calling the first-years and was a tiny bit disappointed she wasn't going to the castle by the boat this year. Last time she had caught a glimpse of the Great Squid and almost managed to high-five it, had it not been for the fact that the boat apparently didn't approve of that idea and decided to sail away from the friendly-looking tentacle waving at the students. Since then she was trying to spot the Squid every time she was near the lake, but the creature was either nowhere to be seen or nowhere near the shore, much to Luna's disappointment. Well, maybe this year would be better, creature-encounter-wise. Although there were limits even to her curiosity; having that Dementor go past her compartment definitely hadn't been the most enjoyable of experiences. Good thing it had only stopped by the door and decided not to enter…

A strange sound, like a low hoarse screech roused her from her thoughts. She realized that blindly following the rest of the students she finally reached the carriages that were supposed to take them to the school. But instead of hurrying up to find a comfortable seat—and, preferably, a comfortable company—she stopped in her tracks, staring at the creatures drawing the carriages.

They were so skinny that she could count all their bones if she wanted. They seemed like emaciated black horses, only that there was something vaguely dragon-like about their heads, and… no, they weren't _really_ emaciated. Despite their apparently wasted shape, there was a strange air of some dark, chilling strength around them—a sensation that only grew stronger when one of them spread its huge, leathery wings.

She could faintly remember seeing a picture of them in a book, a long, long time ago, when she had been barely able to read by herself and it was her mother who helped her to explore the world made of letters. The creatures' name had long since been buried under tons of new memories and information, but for now she would simply call them _magnificent._

"Could you _move?_" Some Gryffindor grunted, bumping into her. He didn't wait for an apology and shuffled away, while she slowly walked towards one of the carriages and took a closer look at the creature, wondering if it would be safe to touch it. Finally, deciding that they wouldn't have been left basically unguarded with dozens of schoolchildren if they were dangerous, she gently stroked the creature's neck. It made an odd sound, something between a croak and a purr, and closed its white eyes, apparently enjoying the caress of her fingers brushing its smooth skin.

"How _beautiful_ you are," she whispered, moving her hand up a little and scratching the creature behind its ear. "And nice, too. A well-behaved beauty."

"Seriously, Lovegood…" she heard a voice behind her back. "Talking to some invisible things now?"

"They're not invisi—" she began, but then paused, realizing something. "You—you can't see them?" She turned back to find a tall Hufflepuff looking at her with a mixture of amusement and pity.

"Nope," he said. "I mean, there is _nothing_ to see here, really, is there? Those things always go on their own… Simple as that." Not waiting for a response he hopped into the carriage.

Luna looked around; there were not much carriages and students left, and pretty much no one but her seemed to notice the creatures. It made her a little sad.

"What a pity," she sighed. "You do so much work, yet nobody even notices you…"

The creature snorted and shook its head, as if it wanted to say it didn't really mind.

"Well, at least _I_ know. I know and I thank you for your work, you beauties." She smiled. And realized that obviously she couldn't be the only one who knew, since _somebody_ had to harness them.

Her smile widened. _I knew it,_ she thought as she finally stepped back from the creature and got into the carriage._ You were right, dad. Some people just can't see the wonders of the world even when they're right in front of them._

_But those wonders are here anyway. And they're worth looking for._


End file.
